Bible Question:
This is just a general question and I hope that someone can help me with this. After a rather long lapse from church and bible study, I have "re-entered" bible study. With so many different versions out there, what would be a good version to begin with? Our group at work all have different versions. Some I find hard to follow and others make more sense. Is a living translation sufficient enough for study? Thanks for taking the time to answer. Yours in Christ....Myra |
Bible Answer: Your questions: What would be a good version to begin with? . . . Is a living translation sufficient enough for study? Myra: Your question is one of my favorites to answer or discuss. I will be relatively brief here. But if you wish, you may use the search function to check out other postings I have written on the same subject. Also search for previous posts by Nolan Keck and the ones by Hank on this issue. They have written some very fine answers to this question, as have other forum members. Answer (short): Without delivering a lecture on the history of the Bible in English, comparative charts on various translations, technical data, etc., let me just recommend by name those versions which I believe are among the top. (This is a subjective question and opinions may vary widely on which is the best.) Disclaimer: The following is my opinion based on three decades of my own comparison and study. Also,I do not claim for myself infallibility. There is a consensus among laymen and clergy alike that the most accurate English translation of the Bible is the New American Standard Bible. In my experience, the best study edition of the NASB is the Zondervan NASB Study Bible. (I recommend that you go to a Christian bookstore that doesn't mind you taking your time to browse and compare translations for yourself.) Also, a consensus among laymen and clergy is that the New International Version is the best translation for both clarity/readability and accuracy. But the emphasis is on readability first. This is a translation you can trust. The best study edition of this version is the Zondervan NIV Study Bible. (When I call a particular study Bible the best, you need to know that there are other very fine, very helpful study Bibles, other than the ones I recommend here.) Another widely trusted and accepted version is the New King James Version. Without a doubt, the best study edition of this is the MacArthur Study Bible, which you will love if you're a Baptist or other conservative evangelical. But you may not care for it if you are pentecostal. For an excellent second translation to use for study along with your standard translation, I recommend the Amplified Bible. Do check this one out at the bookstore. I would not recommend the New Living Translation for use in word studies. It just isn't suited to that purpose, although it is OK for general reading. I recently read a scholarly article on Bible study in which the author recommends that whenever you do a word study, you have on hand the following three translations: a) King James or New King James; b) the New American Standard Bible or the Revised Standard Version; and c) a good colloquial translation, such as the Today's English Version (also known as the Good News Bible). I tend to agree that this is excellent advice, which, if you take, you will not be disappointed. For my level of reading and individual preferences, if I had to be content with only two versions of the Bible, those two would be: the New American Standard Bible and the Amplified Bible. Those two alone would satisfy me for the next 100 years. The Bible least suitable for word study is "The Message." May God bless you and guide you and provide you with good counsel in your search for a good version to begin with. Grace to you. |